Chapter 81: Connecting North and South (2)
She smiled faintly. “In terms of money, I can contribute some of my assets. As for those ministers, I also have a small method of dealing with them! Lastly, you don’t have to worry about having enough time, since I have a solution. If my idea is successfully implemented, we will be able to connect the north and south within one or two years!”
“One or two years?” The calm Gong Che was once again pulled into surprise by this number. He thought that the shortest time they could finish the project was at least five or six years.
Gong Yi Mo nodded affirmatively, her eyes filled with confidence!
“Yes, since this project is so grand, many outsiders will think that it will need many years to complete. So even if other princes are tempted, they wouldn’t dare to grab this task from your hands. Furthermore, this heavy project will require plenty of assistance.
She laughed like a fox and explained, “And these helpers will not just be anybody. You will need to ask Father Emperor himself if he could appoint for you some officials from the Department of Revenue, and most importantly, the sons of high-ranking officials to join you in this work. That way if any of those ministers and officials want a slice of the profits, they won’t be causing too many problems for you in the future.”
“After all, if such a grand feat is accomplished, everyone knows that those names who were involved will be remembered for generations to come! Because this is thought of as a long-term project, those officials will not necessarily send their most competent eldest sons. Instead, they will choose their second sons, their youngest son, or someone else who is closely related.”
“This was also a kind of training. After the canal is completed in the future, these young talents will bring honor to their families and gain a chance to receive rewards. Since these recruits won’t be from the political center, the most important point is that they won’t be a threat to us.”
The more she spoke, the more delighted she felt!
“Since the emperor has just recently deprived you of your privileges as Crown Prince, those other princes won’t hesitate to take this chance and bring you down. So if you decide to leave the capital, they won’t stop you at all. Instead, they will even help you, making the whole process even simpler.”
She took a deep breath and said, “The beginning is always a challenge. When you start the canal construction, those princes won’t meddle with your task… But once they find out that the construction is actually so fast and is completed one or two years earlier than expected, it will already be too late for them to interfere…”
As she spoke these words, she seemed to imagine those other princes pounding their chest in regret.
The prince was deeply amazed; Gong Yi Mo had thought through every possible obstacle to her idea, whether it be the future shortage of funds, dealing with difficult officials, along with all other minor details and their corresponding countermeasures.
How can her young mind be so broad? It was as if the entire world existed within her thoughts; many issues that needed to be deliberated and discussed with counselors for months were resolved by her in such a simple way, which took her only a single night.
Gong Che felt stunned, then moved, and finally, somewhat ashamed and embarrassed after hearing his sister’s grand ideas.
“I only have one wish, that is, I hope that Gong Jue can participate in this project.”
After hearing Gong Yi Mo’s words, Gong Che was suddenly surprised. He didn’t know why, but when he heard Gong Jue’s name coming out of her lips, he couldn’t bring himself to smile.
Gong Yi Mo wasn’t aware of his reaction and simply continued to analyze the situation.
“Gong Jue left for Xi Zhou because that place has numerous aqueducts; he is only responsible for choosing a desired spot for construction, ordering men to dig a shaft, and then measuring the position where people can build an underground water channel. This does not require too much time, since Zhen Xi Wang is stationed there; Gong Jue can leave the rest of the work under his grandfather’s supervision. But building the canal is a different matter altogether.”